The East African Community (EAC) is strengthening regional efforts to prevent, detect and respond quickly to public health threats that cross national borders, as Partner States increase preparedness against Ebola and other emerging and re-emerging diseases.
The move was agreed during the 26th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, which ended on October 6, 2026, in Arusha, Tanzania.
The meeting focused on improving regional health security and ensuring that EAC Partner States can work together when dealing with disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies.
Among the key measures discussed was the strengthening of the EAC Health Decisions and Directives Tracking Mechanism. The Council called for regular reviews and the introduction of a Decision Implementation Dashboard to help track whether decisions made at the regional level are being implemented.
The ministers also reviewed progress in the EAC Pooled Procurement Mechanism, which is aimed at improving access to essential health products across the region.
All eight EAC Partner States have been onboarded and trained to use the digital platform supporting the mechanism. The system is expected to improve access to medicines, vaccines, diagnostic equipment and other essential health supplies while also supporting local and regional production.
The ministers said stronger regional production would help reduce the region’s dependence on supplies from outside Africa.
The meeting also highlighted the need for timely sharing of health information between Partner States. The EAC is developing a Regional Information Sharing Platform for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence to support faster sharing of information, disease surveillance and evidence-based decision-making.
Speaking during the meeting, the Chairperson of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, Dr Ayume Charles of Uganda, said health threats cannot be contained by national borders alone.
He called for stronger regional cooperation, better cross-border coordination and increased investment in health systems.
“Health sovereignty is critical for the region and Africa as a whole,” Dr Ayume said, stressing the need for greater investment in local manufacturing of essential health products.
He said strengthening local production would help African countries reduce their dependence on external supply chains, especially during health emergencies.
EAC Secretary General Amb. Stephen Mbundi also warned that recent outbreaks had exposed the region’s vulnerability to public health emergencies.
According to Mbundi, disease outbreaks can affect communities, economies, cross-border movement and the wider regional integration agenda.
He said the EAC has continued to support Partner States through the deployment of mobile laboratories, provision of personal protective equipment and other essential supplies, as well as training and deployment of frontline health experts.
Mbundi called for continued investment in disease surveillance, information sharing, rapid detection and coordinated response.
The EAC currently has a Mobile Laboratory Network comprising 10 laboratories across seven Partner States. The laboratories are strategically deployed at locations and points of entry, including Beni, Busia, Nimule-Elegu, Kobero and Bwera.
The mobile laboratories have supported responses to several outbreaks, including Ebola, Marburg, COVID-19 and Mpox.
The regional bloc plans to increase the number of mobile laboratories from 10 to 34 by the end of 2027. The expansion is expected to improve the region’s ability to detect and respond to outbreaks before they spread across borders.
The ministers also reviewed the progress of EAC Regional Centres of Excellence for higher medical and health sciences education, specialised health services and research.
They noted progress in specialist training, research, infrastructure development and health service delivery, while calling for sustainable financing and increased participation by Partner States.
The Council further considered the proposed EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Health, which is expected to be hosted by South Sudan.
Discussions also covered resource mobilisation for the newly established Regional Centres of Excellence for Transplant and Haematological Sciences and Oral Health Sciences in Tanzania.
The ministers called for stronger regional action against communicable and non-communicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance and climate-related health threats.
They also emphasised the need to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services and advance Universal Health Coverage across the region.
The meeting brought together ministers and heads of delegation from EAC Partner States, officials from the EAC Secretariat, the East African Health Research Commission, regional institutions and other stakeholders.
